Firing mechanism for breech-loading guns.



No. 796,880, PATENTED AUG. 8, 1905. R. P. STOUT. FIRING MECHANISM FORBREBGH LOADING GUNS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 27. 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Quorum PATENTED .AUG. 8, 1905.

R. P. STOUT. A FIRING MECHANISM FOR BREECH'LOADING GUNS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 27. 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

wimeom IINITED STATES PATENT OFFIOE ROBERT PAUL STOUT, OF SOUTHBETHLEHEM, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO BETHLEHEM STEEL COMPANY, OF SOUTHBETHLEHEM, PENNSYL- VANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

FIRING MECHANISM FOR BREECH-LOADING GUNS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 8, 1905.

Application filed anuary 27, 1904:. Serial No. 190,881.

To a, whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ROBERT PAUL STOUT, a citizen of the United States,residing at South Bethlehem, in the county of North ampton and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inFiring Mechanism for Breech-Loading Guns, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to firing mechanism for breech-loading guns; and itconsists in providing means whereby a firing-pin or other firing devicecannot occupy a forward position, so as to fire the charge, until thebreech-block is so engaged with the threads of the breech that no injurywill result from the explosion of the charge, as fully set forthhereinafter and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whichFigure 1 is .a sectional plan of sufficient of the breech mechanism of agun to illustrate my improvement. Fig. 2 is a vertical section on theline 2 2, Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a detached sectional view illustrating adifferent gear between the block and holder.

The firing mechanism of breech-loading guns as usually constructed isdefective from the fact that if the firing-head of the firingpin becomesdetached it may yet remain in a position projecting beyond the innerface of the breech-block in a manner to fire the charge in case of thesudden closure of the breech, and to obviate this defect I provide meanswhereby the firingpin, under which term I include the pin-point combinedwith any suitable firing device, is carried backward as the breech isopened and is onlymoved forward to firing position as the closure of thebreech is completed by fully seating the block therein. As a result, ifthe head of the firing-pin is detached from the stem it cannot bebrought against the charge merely by carrying the breech-block to itsforward position, nor will it be brought into contact with the chargeuntil the breech-block has been turned to such an extent that the firingof the charge will have no detrimental results.

In carrying out my invention the firingpin is combined with meanswhereby it is moved longitudinally backward as soon as the breech-blockbegins its movement prior to withdrawing the same and is carried forWard intofiring position only after the breechblock has been fullyintroduced and after it is so secured in its place that the explosion ofthe charge cannot displace the block.

In the construction shown, A represents the breech of the gun; B, thebreech-block of any desired design, with threads or collars on theperiphery meshing With those of the gun and segmental to permit thewithdrawal of the block after a partial rotation.

The breech-block is suitably supported upon a carrier E, the latter, asshown, having a hub 2, with threads engaging those of a recess in theblock and corresponding in pitch to the threads of the block .whichengage those of the breech. Instead of threads the engagement of theblock and hub may be efiected through the medium of coacting collars.The firing-pin is carried bodily by a longitudinally-movable holder,which is only in its forward position when the breechblock is in firingposition. Thus the breechblock forward of the hub has a threaded socketwith threads adapted to those upon a firing-pin holder C, the saidthreads being the reverse of those of the breech-block, and thefiring-pin or other firing-gear is carried by this holder, and bothholder and firingpin, as shown, extend rearwardly through the hub andthe carrier. In the construction shown the firing-gear consists of thepin D, sliding in the holder, carried forward by a firing-spring 3, andhaving a point 5 projecting beyond a shouldered or conical head 4, sothat when the holder is moved to carry the firing-pin to a position withits point back of the face of the block the charge cannot be fired, evenif by any accident the head of the pin should become detached and remainin firing position in the holder when the block is carried into thebreech, because the said head will not be held in firing position inrespect to the block.

While different means may be employed for turning the holder to carrythe firing-pin into firing position upon the final movement of the blockinclosing the breech, I prefer to make use of a suitable gear H,supported by and turning upon the carrier-as, for instance, by a stud7-and meshing with a curved rack 8 at the rear of the block and withgearteeth 9 upon the holder, the teeth 9 of such length as to intermeshwith the gear as the holder moves longitudinally in respect to saidgear. Where the rotating movement of the block is to such a slightextent as to ren- .der it desirable to give a greater degree of rotationto the holder, I make use of a multiplying-gear H, as shown in Fig. 3.

Any suitable means may be employed for operating the firing-gear. Asshown, a lever F is pivoted at 14 to the holder and is provided withjaws G, which engage an annular recess of the firing-pin until the leverF is swung back to the proper extent and the jaws are separated and thefiring-pin released to be projected forward by the spring- 3. As thismechanism is well known and in common use and as any other suitablemeans for drawing back and releasing the pin may be employed, furtherdescription is unnecessary.

The operation of the mechanism. constructed as illustrated is asfollows: In opening the breech the block B is rotated either to theright or left, according to the character of the screw-threads betweenthe block and breech. Assuming that the block is turned to the left, therack 8 will move around the axis of the block, rotating the gear H andturning the holderCto the right, and thereby also causing the holder C,with its firing-pin, to be carried longitudinally independently of theblock to the rear sufiiciently to remove the firing-pin from firingposition in respect to the block-that is, it is carried into the recessor socket of the block, so that the point 5 and the surrounding holderwill not project beyond the face of the block, and this action iseffected before the threads of the block are disengaged from those ofthe breech. The breech m ay then be opened, as usual. In restoring theparts to position after the insertion of a charge the carrier is swungtoward the breech, and the block is inserted within the breech withoutthe firingpoint being projected beyond the face of the block. As theblock is turned and the threads thereof engage with those of the breechthe gear H is turned, rotating the holder and gradually carrying it,with the firing-pin, to a firing position, a position, however, which itdoes not reach until the threads of the block and breech areso fullyengaged that an ex plosion'of the charge will not be detrimental to themechanism of the gun.

It will be evident that the mechanism above described or other mechanisminvolving my invention is adapted for use as well in connection withmechanism where the firing-pin or its equivalent is always concentricwith the breech, as well as in mechanism where it is eccentric, or canbe carried into and out of position concentric with the breech.

. Without limiting myself to the precise construction and arrangement ofparts shown, I claim A 1 V I 7 i 1. A breech-block provided with afiringpin, a holder for the latter provided with external screw-threadsadapted to those of a threaded socket in the block, and means to turnthe holder relatively to the block and breech to carry it forward andthe pin to liring position only as the closure of the breech iscompleted, substantially set forth.

2. A breech-block provided with a firingpin, a holder for the latterprovided with external screw-threads adapted to those of a threadedsocket in the block, and means to turn the holder positively andrelatively to the block and breech to carry it forward and the pin tofiring position only as the closure of the breech is completed,substantially as set forth.

3. The combin ation with a threaded breechblock adapted to a threadedbreech, of a firing-pin, holder therefor carried by the block andprovided with external threads engaging internal threads of the block,and gearing for turning the holder in respect to the block,substantially as set forth.

41. The combination with the carrier of a gun, and breech-ljilockcarried thereby and rotating thereon, of a firing pin, a holder thereforhaving external threads engaging in ternal threads of the block, andgearing between the holder and. block, whereby the holder is turned theblock rotates, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination with the carrier of a gun, andv breech-block carriedthereby and rotating thereon, of a firing pin, a holder thereforhavin gthreads engaging corresponding threads of the block, and gearing betweenthe holder and block, whereby the holder is turned. as the block rotatesbut to a greater extent, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination with the carrier of a gun, and breech-block carriedthereby and rotating thereon, of a firing-pin, a holder therefor havingthreads engaging correspon (ling threads of the block, gear-teeth ontheholder and block, and. an intermediate gear engaging said teeth andsupported by the carrier, substantially as set forth.

7. The comlnnation with the carrier of a gun, and breech-block carriedvthereby and rotating thereon, of a firing pin, a holder therefor havingthreads engaging corresponding threads of the block, gear-teeth on theholder and block, and intermediate multiplying-gear engaging said teeth.and sup ported by the carrier, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

ROBERT PAUL STOUT.

I/Vitnesses G. P. KRAMER, G. N. FREEMAN.

